


The Makaras

by kaybee



Series: A Year In The Life [13]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Humanstuck, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:14:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26437039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaybee/pseuds/kaybee
Summary: Skaia High is full of a strange assortment of characters; the douchebag who plays guitar (badly) to pick up chicks, the 17-year old who still carries around Pokémon cards, but everyone finds him attractive regardless, the girl who became a certified lifeguard at 14, the disguised albino, the girl who’s best friend blinded her in 7th grade, and a myriad of other odd friends. They are slowly finding their way, paving their paths as they grow up. This is a compilation of their stories.========================================================================Gamzee and Kurloz Makara pretty much fend for themselves, despite being a wealthy family. But as they grow older, their father's expectations begin to weigh on them more. Will they be able to live up to the family name?
Series: A Year In The Life [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/184442
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	1. Stoned

There was no other place to find a Makara, on a summer day, with their father gone, than in the basement, rifling through their own drug stash. That’s exactly where they were. Gamzee, the younger brother, was drowning in an oversized hoodie, his hands shoved into the pockets, with his eyes blissfully closed and his head gently swaying to the music that Kurloz had playing as he sank further and further into the beanbag chair. The basement had become home to a bunch of junk that their father didn’t want to look at, and the things that they didn’t _want_ their father to know about. Gamzee pulled an unlit joint from where it had been sitting behind his ear, dangerously close to getting tangled in his mass of unkempt hair.  
“Yo Kurloz, lighter?” Gamzee asked. The older Makara looked up and just tossed Gamzee the lighter wordlessly. Kurloz did most things wordlessly. It had been a morbid day the day he cut his own tongue out; the day he stitched his lips closed. Their father wasn’t happy with the turn of events, but it was too late. Of course it happened during one of his long absences. His long, frequent absences, which was how the boys managed to get half of the stuff they had in the basement in the first place. All Kurloz wanted to do before school started up again for his senior year was get unreasonably high, and maybe get his girlfriend Meulin over while he was at it. Gamzee was happy enough just with his weed, but Kurloz, more often than not, took a harder hit than his younger brother. Acid was always a time. Kurloz grinned and slipped a capsule through the only spot in his self-inflicted stitches where it could actually get into his mouth. Gamzee let out a wild laugh. “Man, dad would beat the shit out of us if he knew what we actually get up to down here.” He pulled himself out of the beanbag and over to the basement window, cracking it open enough to blow his smoke out. He was smart enough to know that the smell would eventually give him away.  
_Good thing we never know when Dad is actually gonna be home,_ Kurloz signed. Gamzee squinted for a moment. He’d had to pick up sign language in order to actually communicate with his brother, but Kurloz signed so fast most of the time that it could be hard to catch.  
“Man, that motherfucker is practically never home. And when he is, all he wants to fuckin’ say is that we have status and should fuckin’ act like it. Motherfucker.”  
_Shithead._  
“Why’s he want so fuckin’ bad for us to be like him? Man doesn’t know how to loosen up.”  
_We do have power, though. Could be kind of amazing to take some control._  
Gamzee furrowed his brow at his brother. What kind of control was he talking about?  
“Whatcha mean, man?” Kurloz’s face scrunched up in a smile and he let out a throaty chuckle. “Broooooo, you are _tripping,_ ” Gamzee said, giving a boisterous laugh. “What the fuck did you even take?”  
_Mind control, I’m telling you,_ Kurloz responded, still chuckling in his throat. _Maybe I am tripping out._  
“Acid sounds dope as hell. You got any more?” Gamzee asked, standing up and crossing the floor back to the box full of drug paraphernalia. Kurloz’s share of the stash was significantly larger, and though occasionally they split the cost of some of the harder stuff, Gamzee was still sort of reticent to try anything too hard. Weed was one thing; mushrooms were pretty cool, too, but some of the opiods Kurloz managed to get his hands on seemed… well, frightening, for lack of a better word. Not that Gamzee really gave a shit if his brain was fried. Maybe it was the fact that Kurloz was high and raging when he amputated his own tongue. Gamzee didn’t really give a shit about anything else, but the last thing he wanted was to be so out of it he did something rash and hurt himself. But it wasn’t as if he had someone like Meulin in his life, and it wasn’t for lack of trying, but that was just another thing that his dad might resent him for. There was a… a _very_ longstanding crush that Gamzee was sort of afraid to act on, not just out of fear of rejection, but also due to the fact that Mr. Makara was basically obsessed with their reputation, and how they had to be upstanding members of society, and Gamzee didn’t want any of that horseshit. So they had a sweet house, because they were basically rich as fuck, but it didn’t mean anything if their father couldn’t be assed to be around for more than a few days at a time. “Hey Kur,” Gamzee said, his mind beginning to wander. “How motherfuckin’ mad would Dad be if I started dating a guy?”  
_Please, he doesn’t even like me dating Meulin._  
“Fuuuuck, yeah, all on that lower class bullshit. Fuckin’, Equius’ dad is the same fuckin’ way. Except, that motherfucker actually believes it! Guess his dad is around, though.” Whatever. Gamzee didn’t actually care what his dad thought. His shot at actually making it happen was slim to none. Tavros sort of had this awkward thing with Vriska. They were on-again-off-again, or at least that’s what it seemed like to Gamzee, so maybe he could slide in on one of their “off-again” moments. It wasn’t like he’d ever even approached Tavros with his…feelings, so it didn’t seem totally out of the question. He would never know if he didn’t shoot his shot. They were close friends; they talked all the time, and Tavros was the only person Gamzee knew that would tolerate his ICP-inspired raps. Tavros had some pretty sick rhymes of his own. So what did Gamzee have to lose by telling Tavros his feelings? Well, possibly his father’s approval, but that was already hanging on by a thread. There was potential to ruin the friendship. That was the scary part. Gamzee was on the cusp of his own friend group. There was Karkat, who would pretty much outwardly say he couldn’t stand Gamzee, but they were still always there for each other. That was pretty much how Karkat rolled. He always seemed so angry and hateful, but when it came down to it, he cared very deeply for everyone, so Gamzee never let the harsh words bother him. There was Equius, but Equius likely only talked to Gamzee because of their “social ranking”. He was just another person in Gamzee’s life who was telling him to step up to the plate. And then there was Tavros. If there was one thing Gamzee was looking forward to about school, it was seeing all his friends. They hadn’t spent a lot of time together during the summer. In fact, it felt like Gamzee hadn’t done _anything_ over the summer except try every flavor of Faygo. Man, that shit was hard to find on the West Coast. “Shit, bro, I got the fuckin’ munchies. Gonna bake me up a pie or some shit.” Kurloz nodded vigorously as Gamzee ascended the stairs.  
Baking was just about the only hobby Gamzee had besides smoking, and with all the time he’d had to practice over the summer, he was getting pretty good at it. He ate most of the things he made by himself, since Kurloz could barely eat and their dad was barely home, but hey, it tasted good. Most of the time. Faygo cupcakes were not as good as they sounded. If his dad ever _was_ home after Gamzee had been baking, he always just believed that Gamzee had bought it from a store. Somehow that was more conceivable than the idea of Gamzee learning to do things for himself at the age of 14. His dad mostly just thought he fucked around on unicycles all the time, which he did, sometimes, but Gamzee learned to feed himself and get himself around, since Kurloz wasn’t considered mentally stable enough for their father to allow him to drive. Gamzee didn’t really have a choice when it came to taking care of himself. Nobody else was around to do it for him. So fuck, if he wanted to smoke a joint or two, then that was exactly what he was going to do.


	2. Expectations

Education, needless to say, was not Gamzee’s strong suit. Just like his father, whom Gamzee seemed to constantly disappoint, teachers held high expectations and asked a lot of questions. This was always made clear on the first day of school, but now that he was in high school, it felt a hell of a lot more overwhelming. Normally, Gamzee didn’t smoke until later in the day, but that Wednesday morning, he needed something to prepare himself. The _only_ good thing about school was that it was pretty much a guarantee that all his friends would be in one place for the first time in months. Whether that was good or bad depended on who you asked and what interpersonal drama was going on, but all Gamzee wanted was for everybody to get along. Once the boys arrived at school, Kurloz was almost immediately sidetracked by his own very unique group of friends, and Gamzee made his way to Biology class alone, with nothing but a blithe smile on his face. When he walked into the classroom—late, of course, no thanks to the public bus system, the teacher frowned at him, and he waved her off with a wispy apology.  
“Sorry, teach, I got, uhhhh motherfuckin’ lost.”  
“Well, that will do, but please watch your language in my classroom.”  
Gamzee made his way to one of the lab stations, one of the only ones with a seat remaining, and across the classroom, he spotted Aradia, Sollux, and Feferi all grouped at one station together. Fuck, couldn’t they at least have split it? Well, maybe they just didn’t know he was in this class, but man, it would be preferable to work with them over a couple of kids he didn’t know. At any rate, the teacher handed him a syllabus. Gamzee furrowed his brow at it. They didn’t hand these things out in middle school. There was a spot at the bottom of the third page that read _Parent’s Signature._ Fuck. How the hell was Gamzee supposd to accomplish that if his dad was never goddamn around? He was probably on the other side of the globe right about then, with no intention of coming home any time soon. Business was always the priority. Gamzee always wondered how his mother even talked his father into having kids if he was so ambivalent about actually raising them. Gamzee could barely even remember his mother; she’d gotten so fed up with his lack of desire for a family that she bailed on them when Gamzee was, what, 4? Jesus. Gamzee made a mental note to himself to ask Kurloz what he did about syllabi. The most he got from his friends in that class was a smile and a wave from Feferi. Now there was a family with power. Her and Eridan. Gamzee tried not to think much of Aradia and Sollux’s ignoring him. Aradia wasn’t the talkative type, anyway, and Sollux…hm. Come to think of it, Gamzee didn’t talk to Sollux that much.   
Gamzee wasn’t sure if having his second period without anyone he knew in it was better or worse than having friends that didn’t want to talk to him in that class. And he knew he would need help with it, too. Geometry was hard. Hm. Maybe that was something he could get Tavros’ help with. Tavros was pretty smart, and almost always willing to help Gamzee when he struggled before, even right after he got out of the hospital from his ‘accident’. They all very well knew it wasn’t an accident, but Gamzee was one of a few who didn’t get all up in arms about Vriska’s probable assault. Yeah, it was a pretty terrible thing to do, but like, shit happens, right? It wasn’t like she kept doing it.   
By the time Gamzee got to his third period, he was pretty much ecstatic to see Karkat.   
“Heyyy. What the motherfuck is up, motherfucker?” Gamzee asked, as Karkat made his way into the gym.   
“Was that a question or a demand?”  
“Whatever floats your boat, Karbro.”  
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Karkat muttered. Gamzee laughed to himself a bit, just until Karkat got himself distracted by a bespectacled boy that he seemed to recognize. No problem. Gamzee saw someone else he knew, too: Vriska.   
“Hey, Gam,” Vriska said. “How was your summer.”  
“Aw motherfuck, sis, it was fuckin’ great. Got to spend a hell of a fuckin’ all great time with my bro.”  
“Kurloz? Isn’t he into some trippy shit?”  
“Fuck yeah! It’s all cool though, all motherfuckin’ cool.” Well, it had been cool to spend some time with Kurloz, but it was also kind of lonely sometimes, especially when Kurloz had Meulin over. Gamzee just felt some kind of way about intruding on their “dates”. Usually that was when he baked whatever recipe he came across that sounded interesting, or fucked around with his unicycles, or sometimes just absolutely zoned out playing video games. Gamzee tried to stay positive, though. Summer was a nice long break, and now he was back in school and around more people. Both were great.  
Gamzee’s next class was history. He found Sollux again, and at least this time they sat near each other. That was something of a comfort, though the boy sitting behind Gamzee seemed annoyed to be stuck behind such a tall person. He huffed, then picked up all his books and moved one seat over. Gamzee sort of snickered to himself. He knew he was big, he knew he freaked people out, especially with his Juggalo look, but it never bothered him. It was kind of entertaining seeing peoples’ reactions to him on the first day. It wasn’t as if he was going out of his way to antagonize people, either, he was just trying to be himself, and some people couldn’t even stand that. It was just the same as every other class. The teacher handed out a syllabus and went on a long lecture about class expectations. Gamzee fell asleep on the desk.  
At the end of History class, Gamzee made his way to the cafeteria, taking long strides alongside Sollux, who occasionally had to jog a few steps just to keep up. They found Tavros, Aradia, and Vriska had saved a table for all of them. Gamzee plopped down at the end of the table, where Tavros’ chair was parked between their seats and another table. Gamzee smiled a wide, toothless smile at Tavros, and dumped his lunch all over the table. There was pretty much nothing of actual nutritional value. Gamzee’s lunches pretty much consisted of a bunch of junk food, and sometimes a lunchable, for just a scant amount of protein. After a bit, their table was flooded, overflowing into the one on the opposite end of Gamzee and Tavros. Karkat wedged himself between Gamzee and Terezi; Feferi and Eridan were sitting on the top of the other table, Equius and Nepeta were sitting together next to Vriska, Sollux, and Aradia, who were all opposite of Gamzee. All of the chatter, being able to interact with everyone, just made Gamzee so content. It was one thing to bother each other on Pesterchum, but this was exactly what he needed. He laughed so much during lunch that his cheeks started to hurt. This was just what Gamzee came to school for.   
He was pleased as punch to see Tavros and Karkat going the same way as him after lunch, and it turned out they all had Spanish class together. It had been an unspoken rule in middle school that if Karkat and Gamzee had a class together, they would sit together. That didn’t go for everyone, in Karkat’s mind, which only reaffirmed their “best friend” status in Gamzee’s mind. Karkat made his way towards the back row. Gamzee followed, and Tavros parked his chair next to Gamzee in the middle row, the only spot he could really park his chair. Gamzee raised an eyebrow at the blond kid on Tavros’ other side. He already looked annoyed by the situation. Man, if homeboy was over there judging Tav for being the way he was, fucker had another thing coming. Tavros greeted him once the teacher was finished going through his syllabus and gave them time to get to know each other.  
“Um…hi…”  
“Oh my god, you sound like a tool,” Blonde rebuked.  
“Sorry?”  
“This is so weak. I shouldn’t even waste good material on you. It’s like. You’ve got nothing. You wanna start shit? You don’t know anything about me.”  
“Um. I’m not… really sure what you’re… talking about.”  
“You checking me out? At what point in the future am I supposed to look forward to you whipping up this titanic hankering for my knob?”   
Oh, he wasn’t _judging_ Tavros, he was just messing with him! Admittedly, Blondie was pretty funny. Gamzee’d bet he and blondie could shoot the shit really well. Karkat never put up with Gamzee’s weird shit for long enough, but this guy might, if only because his weird metaphors were just as strange and baffling.   
“Uh…” Tavros muttered.   
“Be honest with me, because I’m busy. I just need to know when to be there when the stars come into alignment and you finally decide to state your meteoric greed for crotch-dachshund.” Oh God, absolute gold.   
“I… guess I’ll leave you alone? You have some… bees in your bonnet about your sexuality.”  
“No, no dude. You sassed me up. We are in _the shit_ now. Together. For the long haul.”  
“I…what?”  
“We’re motherfucking entrenched in this bitch. You and me. Welcom to ‘Nam. Now grab my hand before Charlie gets the fucking drop.”  
“Who’s Charlie?”  
“He’s the guy who’s gonna read our vows. I’m feeling pretty frigging _matrimonial_ all a sudden. Take a look down by your foot; see that little bottle? Stomp on that shit like it’s on fire. Noisy ethnic dudes are flipping the fuck out and waving us around on chairs ‘til someone gets hurt.”  
“Oh my god…” Tavros muttered, and it was very clear from the way he started staring forward with wide eyes that his main goal was just to tune Blondie out. Gamzee just started laughing, and glanced over at Blondie, who was barely concealing his own laughter with a smirk. Gamzee’s sixth, and final, class of the day was English. That was silly, wasn’t it? They already _spoke_ English. At any rate, this was a class that Gamzee actually felt he was somewhat competent in. He shared this class with Kanaya. They weren’t particularly close, but they still sat near each other. Kanaya could be sort of judgemental. She’d offered to “fix” Gamzee’s hair on more than one occasion, but he supposed that she was just trying to be nice. She had this reputation of being the ‘mom friend’, and yeah, that sort of fit. Gamzee also saw the same kid with glasses that Karkat had been talking to during PE. Hmm. Maybe he would be worth getting to know.

All in all, it was quite an uneventful day. As soon as he got home, Gamzee dropped his basically empty backpack onto the couch, and slumped over the back of it, looking up at Kurloz, who was blending up a smoothie for an after-school snack.   
“Kur!” Gamzee shouted over the sound of the blender. Kurloz turned to him, then processed the fact that his brother wanted his attention and turned the blender off. “Hey, what do you do about Dad needing to sign the motherfuckin’ syllabus…es an’ shit?”  
_Just forge it. It’s not like he’ll check.  
_“Fuck, man, guess you’re right,” Gamzee muttered as he fished the six stray papers out of his backpack. They were already crumpled and sad-looking. Gamzee retrieved a pen and signed his father’s name on the dotted lines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahahahhh yeah not really much happens in this chapter. I kinda just wanted to explore how gamzee sees the world and the other characters.  
> also i know its v late and i am v behind my planned schedule (it says im supposed to be on ch 7 today OTL) i wanna try to catch up but like honestly im in grad school for teaching which means i have to teach classes, prep for those classes, take my own classes, do homework, and also find time to make money so like im kinda dying   
> (Also...wild, i started this series like my second year of undergrad OOF)


	3. Posters

School honestly didn’t mean that much to Gamzee. He just went through the motions every day, and before he even knew it, two weeks had passed, and there were suddenly new additions to their lunch table, officially spreading them across two.   
“Hey, Karkat!” a boy called one otherwise uneventful afternoon. Wait, Gamzee recognized him, it was the glasses kid from PE. Three others trotted up behind him—oh man, Blondie! Karkat looked up at the four of them and grumbled from his seat next to Gamzee.  
“I’m sorry, did I fucking invite you to sit here, Egbert?”  
“Oh fuck no, you three?” Blondie asked, gesturing towards Karkat, Gamzee, and Tavros. “These are the pricks from my Spanish class.” Gamzee chuckled to himself.   
“Come on, Dave, Karkat isn’t so bad,” the first boy said with a grin.  
“Whatever,” Blondie—Dave—said.  
“Hey, I’m Tavros,” Tavros said, clearly trying to be polite, as per usual.  
“’sup. ‘m Dave.”  
  
After long enough, having the other kids around became commonplace. John, Dave, Rose, and Jade integrated themselves into the group of friends fairly well, and they fit in fairly well, too. Dave was always razzing Karkat and Terezi, and there were a couple occasions where Dave, Tavros, and Gamzee got to throwing down sick fires together, which Gamzee thought was pretty dope. Rose and Kanaya hit it off right away, Jade blended in just as well with everyone else, but she was another advocate of giving Karkat a hard time, and John was generally amicable. Time passed and then it was October, leaves turning orange and pumpkin spice flavored everything was on sale at the grocery store. The biggest change at school was the sudden presence of Homecoming posters. Man, Gamzee knew exactly how all this was going to go down. This was bound to cause drama, and what for? It was a dance. It was supposed to be fun and chill, where they could all just jam out for a night.   
“Motherfuck, my bro, you up and all seeing this shit?” Gamzee slurred to Karkat one day as they walked to Spanish class.  
“What shit? What the fuck are you talking about?”  
“They all be throwing a motherfuckin’ dance, man. Homecoming or some shit.”  
“There’s a dance?” With the face Karkat made, Gamzee already knew the plan in his head.  
“You gonna ask Rezi, ain’t you?”  
“I’m sure gonna fucking try,” Karkat growled as they moved towards their seats.   
“Try what now?” Dave asked, quirking an eyebrow just above his sunglasses.   
“None of your fucking business, windbag,” Karkat growled at him. Man, so much animosity. What use was that?  
“He’s gonna ask Terezi to Homecoming, motherfucker,” Gamzee drawled. Karkat was practically radiating heat from scowling so hard, but Gamzee just wore the same blithe smile and half-lidded eyes as always. Dave didn’t question the information that Gamzee just dropped on him.  
“’kay. Cool.”   
Gamzee glanced over at Tavros, who had gotten to class before him and Karkat. Maybe, just maybe, he could go to the dance with him.

That night, Mr. Makara finally arrived back at home. Gamzee and Kurloz were in the basement again, Gamzee looking for a bit of help on his homework, when they heard the front door open, then close again quite loudly.   
“Boys?” Kurloz’s eyes widened, and he scrambled to get his paraphernalia hidden away again.  
“I’ll stall him,” Gamzee muttered before going up the stairs. This was only going to work because he’d actually been studying instead of smoking. “Uh, hey Dad,” Gamzee said, trying to sound genuinely happy to see his father. In a way, he was, but his dad could be so… demanding of perfection that it was hard to be 100% truthful about his feelings.   
“Where’s your brother?”  
“In the can,” Gamzee laughed. His father shot him a look. “Uh, I mean, he’s in the restroom.”  
“I see—Gamzee, how many times have I told you not to wear that ridiculous makeup? And please, either do something with your hair or allow your stylish friend to. You’re unkempt.” Gamzee had no words for a moment. He took a breath as Kurloz ascended the stairs, waving at their dad. “Kurloz. Ah. I was wanting to speak with you. I think it’s about time you took more responsibility for yourself and your brother while I’m away. I want you to get your driver’s license.”  
Kurloz furrowed his brow and cocked his head to the side. _You’re going to teach me?_ He signed.  
“Yes. I have no business trips planned for several weeks. You and I will be practicing after school. Gamzee, I expect you to keep up with your schoolwork while I’m with your brother. I don’t want to get any notices that your grades are slipping.”  
“Uh, yeah. Sure,” Gamzee muttered. He already knew he wasn’t off to a great start in school.  
“And for the love of God, don’t do anything to embarrass me while I’m here.”  
Gamzee sighed. Maybe going stag to the dance was the better option. At least, for now.

Homecoming was still the hot topic of conversation at lunch the next day. Gamzee was trying not to think about the knot in his chest when he looked at Tavros. Any other time, he would say fuck it, and go for it, but it was for the best not to draw too much attention to himself while his dad was around. Feferi was the one who brought it up at lunch.  
“Boys, who’re you all gonna ask? Or have you already?”   
Gamzee chuckled, already knowing he had the easiest answer. “I ain’t asking nobody, gonna go with my motherfuckin’ self and have a good time.” This clearly wasn’t the gossipy answer Feferi had been hoping for as she blinked at him.  
“O-oh. Um, what about you, Karkat?”  
“Don’t put me on the spot!” Karkat shouted back at her. “What about you, princess? Who are you going with?”  
“Oh, I already told Eridan I would go with him.”  
“Not worth the time, Vriska said with a frown on her face. “He’s such a fucking pain; I can’t believe I ever dated him.”  
“Because you were so _fuckin’ peachy,_ right, Vris?” Eridan snipped back, scowling just as deep.  
“Eridan, hush,” Feferi said. “He’s not so bad. Anyway… what about you, John?”  
“I, uh…”  
“John and I will be attending together. He never got the nerve up to ask anyone, and neither did I,” Rose interjected.   
“’s cool, bro,” Dave added. “I wasn’t gonna ask anyone to be my date either. I’m with Gamzee on that one.”   
Dope. “Yeahhhh,” Gamzee said with a grin, and fist-bumped Dave across the table. He really was just a chill guy.  
“As much fun as a date would be, I thought we could all just go as friends!” Jade said. “But I’m still curious; who would you ask, Tavros?” Now _there_ was a question Gamzee was invested in. He glanced over at Tavros, whose eyes widened and cheeks immediately filled with blush as attention turned to him.   
“Uhm… I was going to ask…um… this girl, from English class. Uh, how about you, Equius?” Welp. That was pretty much the impression Gamzee had. Even if Tavros did play for both teams, it had always felt like he saw Gamzee as his best friend, and nothing more. Oh well. That was life, Gamzee supposed. Not much to be done about it.  
“I was… going to ask someone,” Equius answered, but Gamzee wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation anymore. “But, if she says no I will go with Nepeta.”  
“You butt! I’m your second choice?”  
“I believed that was our arrangement…”  
“Naw, it is. I’m just teasing.”  
  


Despite being mildly disappointed by Tavros’ response, Gamzee was still looking forward to the dance. Like Jade had said, it was bound to be fun to go as friends. The weirder part of the day was his father actually being there to pick him up after school. Guess that meant he couldn’t sneak a joint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bluh again nothing happens. i dont think i integrated gamzee into the plot very well and dont have much to say about him until towards the last few chapters so *shrug*


	4. Grades

Gamzee really put his head down over the next week and spent most of his time at home focusing on his schoolwork, occasionally trying to sneak a smoke while he was out teaching Kurloz to drive. It felt sort of like a catch-22, that Gamzee wanted his father so desperately to be a part of his life, but when he was around, Gamzee couldn’t even partake in the lifestyle he’d had to adapt to for so long. Huh. Maybe a drug dependency _wasn’t_ ideal, like Karkat was always trying to tell him. At any rate, something big was coming up. Progress reports. Man, those two words were like a death sentence. Gamzee had no idea how he was going to evade this one. His dad had been around consistently for the last two weeks, and he was showing no signs of going anywhere until closer to Halloween. Shit. Gamzee was too afraid to even smoke in the house anymore. He usually tried to find some time to hang out under the bleachers during the school day, but that was problematic too, because it usually cut into class. Man, as much as Gamzee missed having his dad around, he hadn’t realized how much it drastically changed his lifestyle; how much he relied on his dad being gone to not get caught causing trouble. And what’s more, his dad pretty much always expected him to come home right after school. Not nearly enough social time. Gamzee sighed as he looked at his grades on the school portal. He wasn’t _failing,_ but while his motto was ‘C’s get degrees’, he doubted that his father would ascribe to that same lifestyle. Okay, Gamzee really needed to bring his grades up. Maybe it would be better to nip this in the bud before his dad saw it for himself. It wouldn’t be an easy conversation, that much was obvious. He needed a distraction before he got home. Maybe Vriska had something to dish.  
“Hey, sis, Tav make his motherfuckin’ move today?”  
Vriska snorted a laugh. “Ha. Yeah. He totally struggled through the whole thing. But it’s all good, he and I are going.”  
“That’s motherfuckin’ sweet,” Gamzee said, though he wasn’t sure how much he actually meant it.

Once he got home, Gamzee went up the stairs and very cautiously approached his father’s study, knocking gently on the door.  
“Father?”   
“Come in, Gamzee.” Gamzee swallowed the lump in his throat and took a few quiet steps into the office. “What is it?”  
“Uh. Progress reports are coming out.”  
“Yes…? Is there something I should know about yours?”  
“It’s… not great.”  
Gamzee’s father looked up from his work for the first time in that conversation. “Define ‘not great’.”  
“Well… I’m not failing.”  
“But…?”  
“Um. I mostly have C’s.”  
“Average. Do better, Gamzee. Do I need to get you a tutor?”  
“N-no, sir. I’ll get my grades up by the end of the semester.”  
“Don’t think that because I’m away for work that you don’t need to be focused on your education,” he said, narrowing his eyes at Gamzee. “I trust you and your brother to maintain our reputation, but I am more than willing to start keeping a closer eye on things if I need to. All those grades are online, son. I keep my distance because I trust you. It’s up to you to show me that trust is earned. Understood?”  
“Yes, sir.”  
Gamzee left the office, then let out a quiet sigh under his breath. That really wasn’t as bad as he’d been expecting. There were still heaps of things implied that hadn’t been said, but hey, as long as he got his grades up, maybe A’s and B’s, Dad would stay off his back. It hadn’t been a problem as of yet, but shit, high school felt a lot harder than middle school.

Spanish was really the most problematic. Gamzee did _not_ have a knack for foreign languages, no matter how much his dad tried to get him into full immersion classes straight from kindergarten. Maybe this could be an opportunity to spend some time, though. He knew just the guy who would be willing to help. When the bell rang to dismiss them from Spanish class, Gamzee walked over to Tavros’ desk and sat on top of it.   
“Oh, hey, Gamzee,” Tavros said, shuffling his books into his backpack.  
“Hey, Tavbro. Uhh, can I ask a favor?”  
“Sure.”  
“Well, I ain’t doin’ too well in this class. Think you could help a brother out?”  
“Yeah, my mom speaks Spanish. She could probably help. Why don’t you come over after school today?” Yes! Tavros was always there to help, with no hesitation. He was such a caring guy. Not to mention Gamzee was pretty much always down to hang out at Tavros’ place. Something about his house just felt so much more welcoming than Gamzee’s own, even when his dad _wasn’t_ breathing down his neck.  
“Yeah. Ye-heah, your mom’s Mexican, right? That makes sense.”  
“Spanish, actually. Uh, like, from Spain.”  
“Ohhhh. Heh, well, thanks, bro. ‘preciate it.” Gamzee got off the desk. That would, at the very least, would appease his father. Gamzee took his phone out to text his dad that he wouldn’t be home right after school, but then thought better of it. Better to beg forgiveness than ask for permission.

Gamzee met up with Tavros at his locker after their last class. Gamzee knew he was taller than most people, but only next to Tavros did he really feel like a near giant. They stood on the curb outside the school, and Gamzee was a bit anxious that he hadn’t told his father he wasn’t coming home. Thankfully, Tavros’ parents weren’t the type to keep him waiting, especially since getting him into the car was already quite the process. Tavros tapped on the passenger side window, and it was quickly put down.  
“Gamzee needs some help with Spanish. Can he come over?”  
“Of course! Hop in, Gamzee.”  
Gamzee wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and he did as Mrs. Nitram said. She always treated him like another son, and it felt more than a little nice to be so welcomed. After another moment, Tavros’ brother Rufioh came to the car and climbed in.  
“Hey Gamz,” he said, giving a short wave. “Long time no see. How’s Kurloz?”  
“He’s quiet, bro.”  
“Yeah, figures.” Gamzee knew that most of Kurloz’s friends found him a bit odd. He wasn’t particularly close with very many people. Actually, Mituna was one of two people who trusted in Kurloz whatsoever, and the other person was Kurloz’s literal girlfriend, so really what did that say about what people thought of him?  
They hadn’t been on the road for more than five minutes before Gamzee got a somewhat aggressive text. Shoot. It wasn’t like this had been unexpected, but it was unexpectedly quick.   
_Dad: Gamzee, where on earth are you?  
Gamzee: Sorry, I forgot, Tavros offered to help me bring my grade up in Spanish._

_Dad: Are you going to his house?  
Gamzee: Yes sir.  
Dad: Very well. _

Gamzee didn’t say anything else on the way to Tavros’ place. It would be much easier to keep his mouth closed and just enjoy the ride, and the music emanating from the radio in the front. He started bouncing his feet, matching the beat. He couldn’t have told anyone what song was playing, but damned if he didn’t feel the rhythm. It reminded him of Kurloz; he was in a band once. And Gamzee himself. He’d been told a few times that if he took it seriously, he could actually be a successful rap artist. Maybe so, but it sure seemed like a lot of work.

Tavros’ mom immediately started looking over Gamzee’s homework when they got to the house. Tavros sat with them, but didn’t say much. He looked kind of morose, actually. Something was going on in that head, and damn if Gamzee didn’t want to know what, or at least be the person that Tavros wanted to confide in. Fuck. Tavros wasn’t even doing anything, and Gamzee felt distracted by his mere presence. No wonder he wasn’t doing well in school. After their tutoring session, Mrs. Nitram asked Gamzee if he wanted to stay for dinner, the answer to which was of course, ‘yes’, and, in the sense of at least _trying_ to be a polite guest, started setting the table for five. Once Tavros’ dad got home, they all sat down and ate together.  
“Homecoming’s tomorrow, right boys?” Mr. Nitram asked. Gamzee just about inhaled his spoon. Shit, things were going faster than he’d realized. Well, there went any chance Gamzee had of getting Tavros to go to the dance with him.  
“Mhm,” Tavros muttered, staring into his bowl.  
“Shoot, it is tomorrow already. Tav, we gotta get dress shirts before the dance,” Rufioh said.  
“Oh yeah. I guess we do.”  
“I can take you boys,” Mrs. Nitram offered.  
“Mom, can’t I just drive us?” Rufioh asked. Gamzee was beginning to feel a bit awkward. It seemed like he was about to get caught in the middle of a family argument. Mrs. Nitram seemed to realize this, too, as she shot a glancing look at Gamzee.  
“We can talk about it later.”  
There was definitely a silent, weighted moment, and Gamzee was just invested in his food. “You boys get dates?” Mr. Nitram asked after a pause.  
“Haha, nahhhh. Goin’ by my own self and gonna have a good M-Fing time,” Gamzee chuckled. Tavros shot him a look. Whoops.  
“Yeah, me too,” Tavros said, though with noticeably less joy than Gamzee had. Wait, huh? That didn’t add up.  
“What? Bro, I thought you asked her.”  
“I did, but, uh, it didn’t work out, um, with Jade.”  
“Not Jade. Vriska.”  
“Uhhh…”  
“‘cause she thinks she’s going with you.”  
Tavros hesitated for a moment. This whole thing seemed weird. Tavros and Vriska had a contentious, but still somewhat romantic, dynamic, and Gamzee had been so sure that when Tavros said he was asking someone from his English class, that meant Vriska. So… Vriska thought they were going together because…? Whatever. It wasn’t Gamzee’s problem.  
“W-well, that’s uh, unfortunate for her,” Tavros muttered.  
“Wow, Tav, harsh,” Rufioh said.

The next day was Homecoming. Gamzee truly wasn’t expecting much of it, just a fun night out. A good chance to get fucking blazed, too. Maybe. And honestly, for Gamzee, the dance wasn’t that eventful. He was enjoying dancing with his friends, and keeping his distance from the drama. Karkat looked quite pissed when Terezi shafted him to dance with Dave. When Karkat re-entered the room, wearing a scowl and crossing his arms, Gamzee just snickered.  
“Shut up,” Karkat snapped at him.


End file.
